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Atlanta Falcons select Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts in third round of 2025 NFL Draft

IMG_7504by:Jack Soble•04/25/25•

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Xavier watts-3
Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts. (Chad Weaver, Blue & Gold)

After back-to-back consensus All-American campaigns, Xavier Watts has his shot at the next level.

Watts, who was one FWAA vote away from being a back-to-back unanimous All-American, became a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday night. He’ll join the Atlanta Falcons, who selected him with the No. 96 overall pick in the third round.

Projected as high as the early second round, Watts fell farther than expected. The Falcons ended his slide and will play him behind a revamped pass rush, having selected edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. in Round 1.

Over the past two seasons, Watts led college football with 13 interceptions. He broke out in 2023 with 7 picks, winning the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s best defensive player.

Despite amassing more accolades in 2023, Watts was better in 2024. As one of Notre Dame’s five captains, he intercepted 6 passes and improving his tackling, play recognition, man coverage, post transitions and more as he helped lead the Irish to the national championship game.

“You could probably pick 30 instances on the tape this year where he’s physically, demonstrably and audibly changing something on our defense,” then-Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said during the season. “Running down, telling [cornerback Benjamin Morrison] something in the Louisville game, going back. That’s command, and it’s undeniable when you can see it as an evaluator.”

Watts, who began his college career as a wide receiver, played sparingly in his first two years with the Irish before figuring it out after an up-and-down junior campaign. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman frequently uses his story as an example of a player who didn’t see the field right away but still achieved greatness.

“You’ve got your Xavier Wattses, and you got your Benjamin Morrisons,” Freeman said in March 2024. “The ceilings are the ceilings, right? But I hope our players see Xavier Watts’ journey.” 

Watts finished his Notre Dame career with 188 tackles (117 solo), 9 tackles for loss, 13 interceptions, 18 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. He also scored 2 touchdowns, one on a pick six and another on a fumble recovery but both against rival USC.

Due to Notre Dame’s extended College Football Playoff run, Watts did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine. The 6-foot, 205-pound safety ran a 4.56 40-yard dash at his Pro Day on March 27. That would have ranked 12th out of 15 safeties at the Combine. He also jumped 35 inches in the vertical and 9-foot-10 in the broad jump.

A four-star prospect in the class of 2020, Watts was the No. 341 player and No. 66 wide receiver in the On3 Industry Ranking. He surpassed expectations every step of the way during his time in South Bend, and he’ll look to do the same in the NFL.

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